swordtails, aggressive or not?

[woodsplace1]

So I finally branched out and got some more fish since the death of our first one over a month ago. I was going to stick with the mollies because that is what i am used to...but I didn't. I branched out a bit and got some swordtails...they are so pretty, but the one bigger one is a bit aggresive, or is just scared...I'm not too sure which! She practically jumps up at the food and then nips at everyone when they try to eat...is she just showing everyone she is boss or are they aggressive? I am afraid my molly will start to "bite" back...I tried to add a few moons and already lost one of them to the "aggressiveness". Any ideas?

Thanks!
Ging

 

[TCTFish]

You gotta fiesty one...LOL. Actually, livebearers in general are going to be that way...though usually with males. The species here doesn't matter. A livebearer is fare game to any other livebearer of any livebearing species so the female/male ratios still have to match by the number of livebearers in general rather than the number of males to females of a certain livebearing species.

I find sailfin mollies to be one of the pushier ones and, for as tiny as they are, Endler livevearers have a ballsy attitude and they'll pester other fish much bigger than themselves because they can...LOL. Swords though I don't see too much aggression from them but once in a while I'll come across one with that extra flare. At least she's healthy...LOL, though sorry to hear about the loss of your new fish. You would need to look into fish with her level of aggression to chill her out (it is a female?).

 

[TCTFish]

Oh...forgot to mention...if you're that concerned, you can get a breeder net and place her in 'time out' for a while to bide some time so you can think of what you're going to do about this overly aggressive sword.

How big is your tank? How many of what species of livebearers you have? Please note how many are male and how many are female.

 

[Elmware2000]

With my Marigold Swordtails, if there is more than one male in the tank and not enough females, the dominant male will chase the other male(s). Especially in a small tank. I have four tanks, so I can put them in another tank to seperate them, or just take them to the fish store and let them have them.

I haven't had any problems with the male Guppy being in the same tank though. I think the male guppy was even hitting on the Marigold Swordtails until I put a couple female Guppies in the tank.

 

[Jaybird]

I have a dalmation sailfin molly, Brutus, that is very aggressive for a molly. He will even chase my dwarf cichlids away from food.

 

[Skyrmir]

I keep a bunch of swordtails in my 30 gallon along with a half dozen danio's. Needless to say food disapears FAST in that tank. For the most part the agression is just for show. While the males and females may charge each other to prove dominance. They usually leave other fish alone unless they get close. And even then chases don't last long once the other fish runs away.

Two male swordtails can make for a pretty wild show though. It's amazing how fast they can flip around and even swim backwards.

 

[woodsplace1]

How big is your tank? How many of what species of livebearers you have? Please note how many are male and how many are female.

I have a 10 cycled with now 2 swords, 1 moon and 1 dalmation molly, a mini clown pleco and an ADF. The swords, moon and molly are all female. No males. The sword that is aggressive is a lot bigger than the other fish, but my molly (which I have had for a while now) will not back down...it is her turf so to say. I am thinking of using the breeder net and chilling her out if she continues the behavior. Thanks for the advice...

 

[cappieBridget]

I have a 20 gal with some skirt tetras, red tail shark, female platy and male sword and when I stick a freezedried worm cube in there, the male sword and shark chase away my female platy. She leaves and watches from afar until they take the back seat for the others, lol.

 

[Zezmo]

I finally got rid of all of my sword tails, male and female, these are the most aggressive and violent fish I have kept.

 

[joannde]

Glad I read this post ! I had gouramis at some point (a dwarf, and a pearl) and I've sworn off them since - I think I had the nastiest of the bunch All fish have personalities - even a "silly little dwarf platy" so while we can make generalizations I guess there will always be exceptions to the rule

 

[TCTFish]

A ten gallon tank, IMO, is a little too small for regular sized mollies and swords. They need their space, though yeah...there are always exceptions. Even a goldfish can have a mean streak. It's pretty funny to see in such an innocent looking creature...LOL, but it does happen. Have you thought of trading her in?

 

[woodsplace1]

I just got her a week ago, so I am sure she is just trying to "show her dominance" to a new tank and prove herself. She has calmed down about 90% since I put her in the breeder net for a day...she is coming to the top peacefully now for eating time and not ramming into everyone...so I think we will be just fine now! Thanks for everyone's advice, I love this website!

 

[TCTFish]

So the time out worked...LOL. That's good. Hoping she remains peaceful